I've known a LOT of cops

[Savannahmann]

140. No, I don't.

The argument is that the good cops are the majority, some folks say that 99% of the cops are good, and it's the 1%, the bad apples that give them all a bad name. Those same people argue that the good cops are kept silent by the system, which would leave them without backup, or possibly accidentally shot by the bad ones in a situation. The good cops are ostracized, so nobody speaks up against the abuses of the bad 1%.

Yet, here is the flaw in the argument. If the good cops are the 99%, why are they all afraid of the 1%? Why aren't the bad cops more afraid of their peers than the good cops are? The obvious answer is that not even half of the cops can possibly be good. They are in such a minority that they claim they are afraid of the repercussions of their fellow officers if they dare break the code of silence. So by choosing to remain silent, by choosing to remain in the system that punishes those who tell the truth, they join the system, and are part of the problem, instead of the solution.

The good cops would speak out, the good cops would testify against those bad officers who abuse the citizens, and who plant evidence, or lie about an investigation. Instead, they write the reports to back up the bad cops, committing lies to paper, and later swearing that the lie is the truth. They have become the bad cops they claim to oppose, if only the system would allow them to.

Find a time in history where I was only following orders was an acceptable excuse. The National Guardsman including Lynndie England tried that defense, and it was rejected in the media, and in the courtroom.

The bad cops are the majority, and anyone who puts on a badge, and joins them on the force, is a bad guy too. The only good ones are the ones who have left the force because they could not, would not stomach the corruption, or those who like Frank Serpico, speak out and tell the citizens what is going on. So no, there are no good cops. I know your next argument, there are lots of small town departments with one or two officers who are good. Really? They never lied under oath about the probable cause rule to justify a search? They never lied to back up another officer who conducted such a search?

The argument that cops have to lie to do their jobs is one where the ends justify the means, and it has never been true. There are no cops who don't lie, and therefor there are no good cops.